Cyclones Game Notes: vs. Indy

Overview: The Cyclones picked up a 3-2 win over the Brampton Beast last Sunday afternoon, and now have a six-point lead over Kalamazoo and Kansas City heading into the weekend. The Cyclones are embarking on a stretch of seven games in the next nine days, including five at home.

Sunday Afternoon Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (34-23-2-0) earned a 3-2 win over the Brampton Beast on Sunday afternoon. Forwards Justin Vaive,Shawn O'Donnell, and Daniel Muzito-Bagenda tallied the goals for Cincinnati, who snap their two-game skid. The Cyclones were outshot, 41-23, on the afternoon, with goaltender Jason Kasdorf steering aside 39 in the win.

Last Saturday Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (33-23-2-0) dropped a 4-1 decision to the Ft. Wayne Komets on Saturday night. Forward Mike Barrett tallied the lone goal for Cincinnati. Cincinnati was outshot, 37-25 on the night, with goaltender Jonas Johansson stopping 33 in the loss.

Last Friday Recap: The Cincinnati Cyclones (33-22-2-0) saw their five-game winning streak halted with a 5-2 loss to the Indy Fuel on Friday night. Defenseman Brock Beukeboom and forward Brandon McNally netted the goals for Cincinnati. Indy outshot the Cyclones, 43-32, with goaltender Jonas Johansson stopping 38 in the loss.

Previewing Indy: The Fuel remain in the thick of the Central Division playoff race, sitting just one point back of the fourth and final playoff spot, and seven back of the Cyclones in third. Indy has won three straight games, and are coming off a 7-4 win over the division-leading Toledo Walleye on Sunday. As has been the case most of the season, the Indy Fuel power play has been extremely effective, and they currently boast the top man-advantage in the League at 22.1% (51/231). They are led by forwards Darian Dziurzynski (22g, 21a) and Ryan Rupert (13g, 30a) who each have 43 points. They are followed by forwards Michael Neal (17g, 25a) and Alex Wideman (15g, 23a) who round out the top three. In goal, Matt Tomkins leads the way with an 11-8-0-0 record along with a 3.19 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.

Inside the Series: The Fuel have had Cincinnati's number this season, as the Cyclones have posted a 1-5-1-0 record in the first seven meetings. The teams are scheduled to met twice more following Friday's contest.

Next Game Preview: Cincinnati heads to Kalamazoo to take on the Wings on Saturday night, in the finale of their seven-game season series. . The Cyclones have a six-point lead on the Wings in the Central Division standings, and have a 4-1-1-0 record against them this season.

NEED-TO-KNOW

Cyclones Add Berrafato: The Cyclones have signed goaltender Paul Berrafato to a Standard Player Contract (SPC). A native of Williamsville, NY, Berrafato recently completed a successful collegiate career at the College of Holy Cross where he boasted a record of 46-45-19 record over four seasons. His 2.27 career goals against average are rank him first in program history, while his six shutouts place him second, Additionally, he is tied for second all-time with a .915 save percentage. He was also teammates with Cyclones forward Mike Barrett during his freshman, sophomore, and junior seasons. His junior hockey career saw him skate in 117 games over four seasons with the United States Hockey League's (USHL) Muskegon Lumberjacks and the Amarillo Bulls of the North American Hockey League (NAHL). He posted a 65-25-15 record a GAA of under 2.20 in two of his four junior seasons.

Running the Gauntlet: Cincinnati has a hectic schedule over the next couple of weeks, playing their next seven games over a stretch of nine days, and 10 in the next 16. The Cyclones will play their final 12 games over the next 24 days.

Cincinnati Signs Prapavessis: The Cyclones have signed defenseman Michael Prapavessis to an Amateur Tryout Agreement (ATO). He was a fourth-round draft pick by the NHL's Dallas Stars in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. A native of Oakville, ON, Prapavessis just completed a successful collegiate career at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) where he accounted for 62 points (7g, 55a) in 154 career games. He also served as team captain during his senior season, and was teammates with Cyclones goaltender Jason Kasdorf during his freshman and sophomore seasons. He played junior hockey for the Toronto Lakeshore Patriots of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) where he totaled seven goals and 55 assists in 72 games played over parts of two seasons. His brother, Matt Prapavessis, currently plays for the ECHL's Greenville Swamp Rabbits.

Welcome to Cincinnati: Recently-acquired defenseman Brock Beukeboom wasted little time making an impact for his new team, as he netted a goal in last Friday's 5-2 loss to the Indy Fuel. He was acquired from the Worcester Railers on Thursday, in exchange for cash considerations. Beukeboom has appeared in 42 games this season between the Cyclones, Railers, and Greenville Swamp Rabbits, accounting for a pair of goals and nine assists.Drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Beukeboom spent the previous four seasons with the University of Prince Edward Island in Canada where he totaled seven goals in 17 assists in 96 career games. The Greenwich, CT, native played his junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), spending time with the Guelph Storm, Niagara Ice Dogs, and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds from 2008-13, appearing in 279 games and amassing 16 goals and 67 assists, along with 233 minutes in penalties in that time.

Cyclones Add McCormick: The Cyclones have signed forward Darren McCormick from the Fayetteville Marksmen of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL). A native of West Seneca, NY, McCormick has split this season between the Marksmen and the SPHL's Macon Mayhem, accounting for 22 goals and 14 assists in 42 games played. He turned pro late in the 2016-17 season, seeing time with the Huntsville Havoc of the SPHL and the now-defunct Elmira Jackals of the ECHL, totaling four goals and an assist in nine games between the two clubs. McCormick played collegiately at SUNY-Coutland, amassing 43 goals and 50 assists in 75 career games at the school.

Power Surge: The Cyclones have at least one power play goal in 15 of their last 21 games, going 21-for-72 in that stretch (29.1%). They also have the second-ranked power play unit in the League overall with a 20.4% power play conversion rate (45/220).

Finishing What They Started: The Cyclones have a 23-1-0-0 record when leading through two periods this season. This is a continuing trend from last season, when the Cyclones were 23-1-3-1 when leading after one, and 26-1-2-0 when leading after 40 minutes.

New Affiliation: This offseason, the Cyclones, in conjunction with the National Hockey League's (NHL) Buffalo Sabres, announced a new affiliation agreement. For Cincinnati, the move comes following a 10-year partnership with the Nashville Predators, while the Sabres recently concluded a two-year relationship with the now-defunct Elmira Jackals. This affiliation will be a reunion of sorts for the cities of Cincinnati and Buffalo, as the Sabres' American Hockey League (AHL) Affiliate from 1971-1974 was the Cincinnati Swords. The Rochester Americans will serve as Cincinnati's new AHL affiliate, and have been the AHL affiliate of the Sabres since 2011. This is not the first time Cincinnati and Rochester have been affiliated, as the two clubs teamed up in 2010-11 when the Americans were affiliated with the Florida Panthers.

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